UK govt addresses discrimination, accessibility concerns with One Login

The UK government is working on further developing its digital identity system, Gov.uk One Login, which has confirmed the identities of over 3.9 million people since 2021. However, reports have highlighted concerns about accessibility and fairness, particularly among underrepresented groups, as the system scales to meet the needs of tens of millions of users.

Last year, the Government Digital Service (GDS) conducted a “user segmentation survey” involving 2,000 participants to gain insights into the barriers different groups encounter when using the new government-wide login system.

The survey, summarized by GDS in a report, identifies the barriers faced by individuals who may not have sufficient digital skills, access to technology, or the necessary documentation to verify their identity. Among these groups are elderly people, those without stable housing, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities who face challenges proving their identity due to a lack of official records or documentation.

In fact, reports show that 4-9 percent of users did not have the evidence for identification which is used for digital identity verification. The assessment of technical issues reveals that only 63 percent of users can currently complete the registration and verification process through a web browser, although 92 percent successfully verified their identity in person at a post office.

The problem goes beyond just usability. A portion of users do not have the proper evidence to verify their identities. This raises concerns about the potential exclusion of vulnerable groups from accessing critical government services, such as healthcare, welfare benefits, and housing assistance.

Inclusivity was a key theme in GDS’s recent blog post, which outlined the ongoing work to ensure that the One Login system is designed to be as accessible as possible. This includes making the service functional for people with low digital literacy and ensuring that it works across a variety of devices and internet speeds.

However, concerns about fairness have been raised, especially regarding potential discrimination. A recent warning from civil society organizations and policy analysts points to the risk that digital identity systems, like Gov.uk One Login, could lead to ethnic discrimination.

According to a report from Careful Industries, which looks at the broader landscape of digital identity in the UK via a poll from Survation, Black and Asian individuals express greater concern than white individuals about the impact of technology on personal freedoms and the potential for digital ID systems to lead to discrimination and exclusion.

Adding to the debate is the growing scrutiny of artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric verification technologies used in such systems. Recently, a former deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council warned about the potential for AI-driven identity checks to inadvertently discriminate against certain groups.

In response, the government and GDS are working to address these concerns by engaging with a range of users, focusing on widening the evidence types and government data sources for users that find it particularly difficult to prove their identity online, according to the blog post.

Article Topics

accessibility  |  demographic fairness  |  digital identity  |  digital inclusion  |  government services  |  One Login  |  UK  |  user experience